Concrete-block-forming machine



E. M. CAMP CONCRETE BLOCK FCRMING MACHINE May 13, 1924. 'Y v v1,493,732

Filed July 25; 1921 l1 sheets-"sheet 1 I Il May 13 1924.

E. M. CAMP CONCRETE BLOCK FORMING MACHINE Filed July 25 1921 4 Sheig-Sheet 2 ZLSS:

E. M. cAMP CONCRETE BLOCK FORMING MACHINE Filed July 25. 1921 4 sheets-sen s may i3, am. 3,493,732

E. M. CAMP CONCRETE BLOCK FORMING MACHINE Filed July 25 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 stares PATENT ERVIN MO'lT CAMP, OF CHICAGO, ILIJNOIS, ASSIGNO'R T0 JOHN A. FERGUSON, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

CONCRETE-BLOCK-FORMING MACHINE.

Application filed .Tuly 25,

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ERVIN Mor'r CAMP, a citizen of the United Statesj a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Concrete- Block Forming Machines, of which the following is a speciication.

My invention relates to machines that are used for forming concrete building blocks by compacting the material into special shaped molds when the material is in a plastic state and then removing the molded blocks to be cured.

The object of the invention is to provide a highly efiicient machine for making a peculiarly desirable shaped block and for so treating the material in the molds of the machine that it will result in an exceptionally desirable block as will be understood from the details of the specification.

The invention is setv forth in the claims.

Reference will be had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the machine.

Figure 3 is an end elevation.

Figure 4 is a transverse end sectional elevation of a part of the machine.

Figure 5 is an end sectional detail of a part of the mechanism of the machine on line 5 5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a sectional detail showing the guideways to the block platen, on line 6-6 of Figure 3.

Figure 7 is atransverse sectional view showing the machine in a position preparatory to discharging the blocks from the molds. y

Figure 8 is a View similar to Figure 7 showing another stage of the work.

lny general terms my machine provides a series of molds mounted in suitable supporting frame work adapted to hold the molds in upright position to be filled with` the concrete material from the top and then the molds are jarred to settle the material and then carrying boards or cover plates are placed over the molds and the moldsl then revolve, inverting the material in the molds on to the carrying boards. rlhe vibration of the molds and-product is again effected and then the material is withdrawn down- 1921. Serial No. 487,287.

ward out of the molds resting on the carrier boards and meantime these boards are supported on a movable table or frame and the table lowered with its cargo of carrying boards and molded blocks on to atru-ck or carrier by means of which the product is removed for curing and drying and the op eration is again repeated for another set of blocks.

In the drawing 1 indicates the rails of an ordinary railroad track of' lightv pattern suitable forthe purposes of this machine. However, any other suitable carrier or means of transport may be employed than the devices here shown. 2 indicates the truck wheels and 8 the wheel aXles and 4 the supporting beams of the truck. 5 indicates the truck side frame. While 4 indicates two rails only these rails amountto what may be termed the floor or carrying body of a fiat car.

6 indicates the supporting rods for the rails 4 and these rods are mounted on springs 7 mounted in the truck frame, the purpose being to receive the load of'plastic blocks withy an elastic cushion eiiect without danger to deformation ofthe blocks.

8 indicates the corner posts of the main frame and 9 indicates the longitudinal beams of the frame, 10 indicates the cross body members and 11 the lower cross member` This frame may be made in any suitable manner differing from the construction here shown, it being necessary to have as it were a unitary frame body. This Jframebody is mounted into four socket posts 12 andl these posts l2 are adapted to hold the feet of the corner posts 8 in vertical sliding arrangement and on the bottom of these posts 8 there are small rollers 13 shown in dotted lines and the weight of the posts is carried on the rollers. These small rollers ride on some rotating cam blocks 14 mounted on cross shafts 15 that are connected by bevel gears 16 that are engaged by another set of bevel gears 17 on a shaft 18 driven in any suitable manner intermittently as desired, for the purpose of vibrating, jarring or jolting the machine as will be understood from further description.

This shaft 18 may be driven from either end from any suitable` source of power.

In Figure 1 I have shown the driving as being taken off from the shaft 19, being the source of poWer to be intermittently engaged by a dental clutch 2O With the shaft 18 through the medium of the lever 21 or any other suitable engaging mechanism. Any suitable vibrating` or jolting mechanism may be used instead of what I have shown.

Thus by the arrangement oit' the cam blocks 14 revolving in connection with the rollers 13 the Whole frame is vibrated vertically by little short, sharp shocks Whenever the operator desires to do so.

A frame Work Which is substantially a square frame open both at the top and the bottom is mounted on shafts or trunnions 23 and it carries the series of molds desired for any shape oic concrete block desired to be made.

The shafts or trunnions 23 Which carry the frame 22 are journaled at 24 to the cross members of the frame and this frame is held in the positions desired by means of a locking bolt 25 held in a keeper 26 also on the frame piece 10. The bolt 25 engages the 'trame 22 by means of some 'I holes 27 in the end of the frame, one being provided on cach side to register the position of the frame in upright or inverted position as desired.

Mounted along the side members of the trame 22 there are some bell crank shafts 28 which carry a series of clamping fingers 29 and the shafts 28 are operated to move the lingers 29 through the medium of some levers 30 hinged to links 31 by the pins 32 and these links 31 are connected by hinge pins 32 to a hand lever block 33 having the hand lever 34 and this block is mounted on the shafts 23 and moves at all times With the frame 22 as the latter is revolved as desired.

By movement of the hand lever 34 the links 31 may be made to rotate the shafts 28 and thus move the clamping fingers 29 as desired. In the position of these parts as indicated in all figures save that of Figure 8 the hand lever 34 and its blocks 33 is such that the position of the shafts 28 are locked to hold thepingers 29 in a set position and this locking is brought about by the links 31 being, as it Were, over the dead center as relates to the shafts 23,l so that the parts will not move during the vibrating operation as previously described.

The concrete molds are here shown of peculiar form and indicated by A35 and are held in the frame 22 by reason of the marginal lianges 36 resting upon the top edges of the side rails of the frame 22. These molds 35 have projections 37 adapted to make a block having a broad flat face 38 with two deep projections 39, but any other suitable form oit block may be used with this machine, depending on the shape of the molds used therewith.

The cover or carrying boards are shown applied to the tops of the molds and the molds are shovvn as being filled with the concrete material and the carrying boards 40 applied thereon. However, When the molds are being lillcd the boards 40 are removed. In the operation of filling the molds the operator sets in motion the vibrating mechanism and jars the Whole machine and thus settles the material down into the mold, driving out the surplus Water and the surplus air and then he smooths oli the top surface of the molds and applies, if he desires, a iinishing surface or' finishing material diiferent 'from that of the main body in the molds and then a'l'ter the linishing material is applied and properly leveled down, carrying boards 40 are placed upon the top of the :trame 22 and over the top of the molds 35 and thereupon the iingers 29 are brought into locking contact with the boards 40 as shown by Figure 4 and then the bolt 25 is released from the frame and the frame 22 is revolved, inverting the position from that shown in Figures 3 and 4, to the position shown in Figures 7 and 8, wherein the Weight ot the plastic mass in the molds is resting upon the carrier boards 40.

The machine. as shown is intended to mold several blocks at a time and is provided with several sets of molds as will be seen from Figure 1. In order to carry and handle the several sets of blocks economically I provide a carrier frame 41 that extends lengthwise of the machine a suflicient length to accommodate all the blocks that the machine is intended to handle and this frame 41 rests on the rails 4 of the carrier or transport truck previously mentioned when it is desired to remove the plastic blocks from the machine.

In order to bring the frame 41 in supporting connection to the carrier blocks 40 I provide some cross member frame pieces 42 at each end of the machine, riveted at 43 to a reciprocating cross head 44 and also connected with this cross head 44 by some brace pieces 45. The cross head 44 is mounted in sliding arrangement with some vertical frame member pieces 46 so that the frame members 42 may be raised and lowered as desired through the medium of some chains 47 connected at 48 to the blocks 44 and trained over some sprocket Wheels 49 mounted on studs 50 to one of the frame pieces 46. The chains 47 are lixcd to and Wound upon Windlass blocks 51 mounted on a Windlass shaft 52 under the control of a windlass crank 53. Thus the operator by use of the crank 53 brings the frame 41 from the position shown in Figure 7 to that shown in Figure 8 in contact With the carrier boards 40 and in this position the machine is again vibrated, settling as it Were the main mass of the plastic blocks on to CIK lil

the finishing or facing material on the face of the block and at the same time driving out the entrained air andsurplus water and also looseningthe material Jfrom the molds so that as the trame rails 42 are released by the windlass dropping down the frame 41 the carrier boards 40 with the concrete blocks riding thereon go down and out of the molds with a downward movement as the operator unwinds the windlass, letting ont the chain 47, the lingers 29 having been -freed from the boards before the downward movementis undertaken. l

The operator slowly unwinds the windlass and it need be slightly jars the machine to loosen the material 'from the molds and lets the frame 41 `with its cargo of plastic blocks come gently to rest on the carrier or transport truck as is indicated by the dotted position of the blocks shown in Figure 2. The spring 7 of the said truck allows an easy landing on the truck without danger ot impact shock damaging the shape of the plastic blocks carried on the boards 40. rIhe frame pieces 42 are continued to be lowered until clear of the. trame 41, allowing the entire load of the blocks to be supported on the truck or carrier and rolled out from `under the machine to where they are deposited for curing,

On a resumption of operations another Jframe 41 is delivered in position by the truck ready for the operation to be repeated tor a new set ot' blocks. The whole frame 22 being reversed to receive a new charge of plastic material together with a fresh lot ci supporting boards 40 provided the latter are needed from the set of the material that is carried thereon.

To accommodate diiferent thicknesses of carrier boards 4() I provide some clamping fingers 29 with an adjustable connection into the shafts 28 as is indicated by the screw threaded portions and nuts shown on the shanks of the said lingers 29.

rlhe carrier truck I have described 'for carrying away the product of the machine I term as a carrier and while I prefer to use this truck as: a carrying means for taking the product out from the machine I may use any suitable carrier adaptedto coact with the .machine as described for the purpose of taking'` the molded product out from the machine.

The method ot vibrating the material during the lilling of the molds and then putting o-n the facing material and reversing the position of the molds with a secondary vibration in an inverted position insures a homogeneous state ot union ot' all the material used in the blocks and insures a tinal better product than has heretofore been obtained in machines of this class.

The mechanism I have sho-wn for vibrating vor jolting the molds and their contents may-be varied to any of the mechanical equivalents of vibrating or jolting devices but I prefer to use those shown. For illustration, instead of the mechanically cam operated j olting devices I may use the compressed air or fiuid jolting systems used on various diterent molding machines. The purpose being to provideia means whereby the operator may mechanically vibrate or jolt the product for the purposes I have described.

What I claim is 1. In a device ot the class described, a mold carrying frame mounted in the main :trame of the machine in a manner to be revolved in different positions thereon, a reciprocating'frame adapted to be moved to and from the mold carrying Jframe and receive from the latter the formed blocks molded in the mold carrying iframe, and means for vibrating the main carrying frame and the parts carried thereby.

2. In a device of the class described, a mold carrying frame adapted to be revolved in different positions and means for vibrating the'same in a plurality of positions; in combination with a movable trame adapted tov receive the molded material as discharged from the vibrating frame and a movable carrier adapted to receive the movable frame and carry out from the machine, the product molded by the mold carrying form and its members.

3. In a device of the class described, frame work adapted to carry concrete block forming devices', with means Jfor vibratingthe frame work; in combination with a carrier for receiving the productof the concrete block forming devices and located underneath the forming devices for the blocks and adapted to receive the same from the machine.

4. In a. device oct the class described, concrete block mold carrying devices adapted to carry the molds in a plurality of positions, a frame work supporting the said mold carrying devices and means for vibrating the said 'frame work; in combination with a carrier adapted to receive the product of the concrete molds and remove it from the machine and located underneath the mold carrying devices.

5. In a device of the class described, a series of vibrating devices upon which the machine is supported, a series of plastic material forms carried by the machine and adapted to be vibrated by the said vibrating devices, a movable carriage located underneath the plastic material forms and adapted to receive the tormed material from the molding forms.

6. In a device ot the class described, a trame for the machine seated upon vibrating devices, a mold carrying frame adapted to be revolved in the function of molding the plastic parts, vertically reciprocating carrying;` devices adapted to receive the molded material from the molds and trans- 'ter it a horizontally carrying device.

7. In a device of the class described, a trame ivorlr adapted to carry mold forms and provided With means for revolving the forms, together With means for vibrating the iorins; in combination with vertically7 movable carrying devices adapted to receive and lower trom the molds the material 'formed therein.

8. ln a device of the class described, a

'iframe Work adapted to carry rmolds forA plastic forms and said molds mounted in the said frame in a manner to be revolved therein, means for vibrating the molds and means for receiving the material discharged from the molds and said means having elastic seats for dissipating` the impact on the discharge of the material.

9. ln a device of the class described, a niold carrying 'frame adapted to be revolved in the filling and discharging of the molds, vertical reciprocating devices Jfor receiving the mterial molded and lowering itto a horizontal carrier; in combination With a horizontal carrier provided With spring mounted supporting devices adapted to receivethe material from the said vertical carrier,

l0, `In a device for molding building blocks from a Wet cementitious mixture having a detachably covered mold form, means 'for jolting said mold form and its contents for consolidating the material in the mold form and means for removing the molded material land the detachable cover for the form from the mold form and means for removing the molded material away from the machine.

1l. In a device of the class described, a mold form and ai detachable cover therefor, means for jolting the mold form and its contents `for consolidating the material in the mold and means for jolting the said form and `its contents in a bodily reversed position and means for removing the material and detachable cover from the mold form and means for removing the same from the machine.

Signed at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, this 21st day of J une, 1921.

ERVIN MOTT CAMP.

lVitnesses B. J, BERNHARD, F. M. ZoBEL. 

